"Verity..." I said as tears welled up.
"No, this is not the time for crying," she said, pushing me toward the door. "It's time for you to get back to the city and do your job so that you can come back and help Adam find a way to get the turbines onto the farms. Whether they know it or not, these people need that technology, Grace. They need the income and they need to be able to provide their families with opportunities, too."
I nodded as she spoke, then hugged her once more before stepping out the back door and heading to the car. Danny and Honor were crowded around the driver's window, peppering him with questions about the car and what it was like driving it from Chicago to Corner Grove. Danny held the broken phone in one hand as he typed out question after question then hit play. The driver looked relieved when I emerged from the house and headed toward him. He got out and opened the back door so I could climb in.
I rolled down the window and looked at my brother and sister. They looked so young, and for a moment I felt the emotions threatening to burst forth as I thought about how things were going to be different for them once I got back.
"You guys listen to Verity and Adam," I said. "I'll be back early next week and then we'll talk about what we're going to do about school this coming year."
"School?" Honor said wrinkling her nose. "Why do you have to ruin what's left of a perfectly good summer by talking about school?"
I laughed as the driver reminded me that we needed to get on the road. And then nodded as I said, "Fine. You enjoy your summer, but when I get back we're going to talk seriously about your education," I looked at Danny and said, "And yours too, young man."
Danny grinned at me as he gave me two thumbs up and then turned and broke into a run as he headed for the barn. Honor took off after him, yelling at him not to take her bridle or saddle. I watched them go and then looked out the window and waved at Verity and Adam who were standing on the front porch watching. They waved back as the car made a circle and headed off down the road.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Adam
As Grace's car disappeared over the hill, my phone began buzzing in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw that Bugsy was finally returning my calls.
"Hey, Bugs, where the hell have you been?" I said. "I've been leaving you messages to get back to me!"
"I know, I know," he said sounding distracted. "I've been doing the wine and dine thing with the Chinese. It's been a little busy, my friend."
"Too busy to call me back and talk for five minutes?" I asked.
"Yeah, look, how's it going with the Amish?" he said.
"Bugs, what the hell is going on with you?" I said raising my voice as I grew more irritated with his evasiveness.
"Look, we have to get this deal in the can, Wallace," he said lowering his voice to barely above a whisper. "We've got exactly five days to sign the contract or they're going to go with the Harvard team."
"What do you mean they're going with the Harvard team?"
"While you've been down there dancing through fields of gold or daisies or whatever it is those people do, I've been up here fighting to keep them interested in this project," Bugsy hissed into the phone. "I told them we wanted to do an initial run of twenty turbines with another hundred likely within the year."
"You did what?" I yelled into the phone. "Who in the hell authorized you to promise something to utterly asinine as a hundred turbines?"
"Calm down, calm down, buddy," Bugsy said. "I had to promise them something, Adam!"
"But a hundred goddamn turbines? Are you out of your fucking mind?" I yelled. Behind me I heard the door slam, and I turned to see Verity disappearing into the living room. I winced when I realized what I'd said.
"I'm not out of my mind," Bugsy replied raising his voice. "I'm doing my best to salvage a deal that you have done your best to completely sink! If we lose this to the Harvard team, it'll be your fault for being such a complete and total dumbass! Who crashes a Mustang on a back road in a place where the nearest auto shop can't get parts? Tell me! Who does that kind of dumbass shit?"
I could tell that Bugsy was dangerously close to losing his temper. I was, too. I took a deep breath and tried to think logically.
"Bugs, we have a problem, but I think we can fix it," I said as calmly as I could. "We've got a plan to bring the community together so that I can do one big sales pitch next week. If this works, we might be able to exceed our initial twenty, but if not, then I think I can at least secure the first set."
"Good," he said following it with, "Oh shit, gotta jet! Later, man!"
The line went dead. I pulled the phone away from my ear as a second call came in. It was my mother, so I sent her straight to voicemail and headed in to see if Verity needed help with lunch.
"Who was on the phone?" she asked as she added flour to the bowl in front of her.
"My business partner," I said as I watched her add the flour with one hand and knead the dough with the other in a way that reminded me of artists and their clay. "He was giving me the run down on what we need to do and when."
"So, you have a deadline," she said sifting a little more flour into the bowl. "What is the deadline?"